Equinox Flower

Higanbana

An obstinate father must concede to modern ways and allow his daughter to leave his household. This deceptively simple plot cloaks a gently ironic portrait of Japanese family life in all its complexity. Yasujiro Ozu’s first use of colour further emphasises the stylised nature of this world, highlighting the modernist, traditional and curiously abstract dimensions and sensibilities of his work. Kinuyo Tanaka co-stars as the wife of a successful businessman struggling with the increased freedoms of post-war Japan and provides a gentle and nuanced portrayal of the place of “traditional” women in a shifting society. With Ozu regulars Shin Saburi and Chishu Ryu.

NONE: Yasujirō Ozu

ACTRESS: Kinuyo Tanaka

Duration: 118 mins

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

Date: 1958

Format: DCP, Colour

Courtesy: Shochiku

Source: Shochiku

Rating: G

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